The parents of a Utah man say their 30-year-old son was experiencing an “obvious mental health episode” when he entered restricted areas of an airport and died after climbing into a plane’s engine. They are now suing Salt Lake City, alleging his death could have been prevented with proper safeguards and response.
On Jan. 1, 2024, the Salt Lake City Police Department said the victim, Kyler Efinger of Park City, was a ticketed passenger at Salt Lake City International Airport with a boarding pass to Denver. The airport is overseen by the Salt Lake City Department of Airports.
According to a complaint filed Tuesday, Dec. 30, in Utah by his parents, Judd and Lisa Efinger, Kyler was traveling to visit his ill grandfather. Court documents state he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder about a decade earlier and “occasionally experienced episodes in which he became visibly disoriented.”…